Chicken Curry with Potatoes and Coconut Rice

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This week’s recipe is coming to you from a place of monotony, a home and an environment that as of late has felt very much like Groundhog Day… every day. Winter has a way of doing this all by its’ self (what a gem), and add to that a pandemic and a family of four in pretty serious isolation. Needless to say, I have not felt like cooking for a week or so.

Absolutely nothing has sounded appealing, my pickup groceries were not inspiring me, and I did not want any more dishes. All of this is not to have you feel sympathy for me or feel down about the state of things, but rather feel some clarity in the fact that this is in fact a hard time and we are in fact all dealing with this in some way or another. It is also to say out loud that it is okay to not constantly feel inspired or like creating.

And so now that we’ve said it, now that we’ve accepted it and ordered take out and made frozen chicken nuggets and eight minute air fryer meals for a week, it is time to start fresh. Yes, another fresh start was needed in my house just two weeks after the New Year. Who knew? So what did I do? I asked for help! I sent out an SOS to my best friend and my mom. I asked them what some of their favorite dishes that I’ve made for them in the past were, and if they had any specific hankerings. Turns out that outside perspective was a huge wave of inspiration and a much needed boost of confidence!

So this week’s recipe is a cozy favorite of mine, something I had completely forgotten about; a recipe card that had gotten lost in the recipe box (of life…too much?) And it truly is worth every effort. It is not a particularly challenging recipe, as the chicken and potatoes cook on one pan while the rice cooks, but you do have to get your sauce juuuust right, and you do have to have a few things that you may not already have; ie curry powder and coconut milk. But I am telling you it is so warming and fragrant and you will most likely have leftovers, which is always a good thing.

Whether I’m talking directly to your soul or just to myself, the thing is, we will in fact all get through this crazy time, and what a beautiful thing it is to be able to cook our way through it…together. Thanks for being here.

What You'll Need

Serves 4

Boneless skinless chicken breasts - 1 pound

Baby creamer potatoes - 1 pound

Extra virgin olive oil - 2 Tablespoons

Kosher salt and pepper

For Coconut Rice:

Basmati rice - 2 cups

Water - 2 1/2 cups

Coconut milk* - 1 cup

Kosher salt - 1 teaspoon

Sugar - 1 teaspoon

For Curry:

Salted butter - 4 Tablespoons

Flour - 1/4 cup

Coconut milk* - 2 cups

Curry powder - 4 Tablespoons

Salt - 1/2 teaspoon

Cilantro - for topping

*Coconut milk - you’re going to need about 2 cans for this recipe

What You'll Do

1. Preheat oven to 450.

2. Place chicken breasts in ziploc bag and pound out until even thickness (about 1.5”) using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Place on baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and season both sides generously with salt and pepper.

3. Cut potatoes into 1/2” pieces and lay on baking sheet around chicken. Toss with olive oil and salt and pepper.

4. Bake 30 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender and chicken registers at 165 degrees.

5. While chicken and potatoes are baking, make coconut rice:

   1. Rinse rice, then combine all ingredients in a covered saucepan and let it reach a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and cook 15 min.

   2. After 15 minutes, remove from heat and let sit (covered) until ready to eat.

6. When chicken and potatoes are done, remove the pan from the oven and tent with foil. Start sauce:

   1. Melt butter in a pan over medium-low heat. Add flour, stir and cook for about 2 minutes, until the color has darkened a bit.

   2. Add salt and pepper and curry powder and stir with a rubber spatula. Cook this “paste” for a minute or so.

   3. Grab a whisk and slowly pour in the coconut milk while whisking, making sure to remove any clumps.

   4. Don’t let this boil (you don’t want it to separate) so just get it warm enough, stirring stirring until it’s perfectly creamy and warm. Remove from heat.

7. Plate! Rice, potatoes, sliced chicken, sauce. Top with a bit of fresh cilantro.

   *Notes: It is winter. Your cans of coconut milk may be solid when you open them so stick a fork in it and stir it up as best you can before measuring out what you need.

   Also, yes your house is going to smell like curry for a few days. These incredible spices have lots of oils in them that like to linger. Get over it. In fact, revel in it.

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